Turkey’s rapid move to assist Qatar paralleled Iran’s maneuver to frustrate Saudi Arabia, its chief nemesis in the Gulf. Turkey is led by a card-carrying MB member, Erdoghan, who jealously protects the interests of Sunni fundamentalist anti-primogeniture movements like the MB, a position not terribly unlike Iran’s anti-royalist attitudes. But, that’ where all the similarities end. Iran is committed to a full liberation of Palestine while the Turks are lingering in a world of Zionist appeasement. Iran is working toward building a Shi’ite Crescent across the northern Near East while Turkey is planning to annex whole parts of it in an effort to interdict Kurkish plans for a new republic on its southern border.

This all makes for great subject matter for rap sessions in college on the weekends. However, it also represents an intractable problem for those trying to end the carnage in both Syria and Iraq.

Witness events in the South-Eastern Ghoutaa. Yesterday, the Qatari-funded and armed “Faylaq Al-Rahmaan” initiated a large-scale assault on SAA positions in the area of Waadi ‘Ayn Turma. The major assault concentrated on the villages of Al-Muhammadiyya and Aftarees and in the area of Al-Lahma Company. The terrorists came at Syrian soldiers with new TOW anti-tank missile launchers acquired by the terrorist group through MOK, or the formerly U.S.-led terrorist supporting command-control HQ in Jordan. Their operation was called “Wa Laa Tahzanoo” or “And don’t be sad”, if you can believe it. ولا تحزنوا

The TOWs have been rendered useless by Syria’s own domestically developed Saraab 1 Interception Device now found on all SAA tanks. The device sends out signals to the anti-tank rockets toppling them from their course. It has had a revolutionary effect on SAA combat operations all over the country. And, now, with the U.S. backing off its support for all terrorist groups, coupled with Saudi Arabia’s shift in policy over Syria, the terrorists are finding the combat conditions increasingly perilous. And so, yesterday, Faylaq Al-Rahmaan lost 29 of its rodents with over 120 wounded, some critically.

With terrorists complaining openly about the way the attack was conducted, there is chatter being picked up indicating a complete breakdown in confidence in the group’s leader, ‘Abdul-Naasser Shameer, a former captain in the Syrian Army who deserted and joined the terrorism inflicted upon Syria sometime in 2012. Moreover, Faylaq Al-Rahmaan is not a part of the “De-Escalation Agreements” worked out in Astana, Kazakhstan, or by Messrs. Putin and Trump during their tete-a-tete at the last G-20 Summit.

I frankly believe that the operation at Waadi ‘Ayn Turma was meant to please the Qataris – to keep the Qatari money flowing by showing that the group was still operational. In looking at the way the group carried out its mission, it would seem it had no distinct purpose other than to kill as many SAA soldiers as possible. As it turned out, no Syrian soldiers were killed in the fighting. This is probably due to the air force response at key locations which blunted the assault and forced the terrorist rats to cede over more territory in the farm areas to the advancing Syrian Army. Once can see why the leader of Faylaq Al-Rahmaan might be heading for the chopping block very soon.

ISIS is in even worse shape. The SAAF pounded them into mush in the Qalamoon area, specifically at Al-Hasheeshaat Heights, Al-Jaraajeer, Qaarra foothills, Meera Crossing, Martabiyya and Shumays where command-control centers were destroyed. ISIS took a big hit too in Hama, where the SAA liberated all hilltops around the town of Salba. One would think that somebody in that group could read the handwriting on the walls.